Rectal, Oral, and Vaginal Pear

The Medieval Torture Museum

San Gimignano, Italy

Its name comes from its shape. This instrument had a screw mechanism by which it was progressively expanded to the maximum aperture of the two or three elements it was made of.

This instrument was forced into the mouth or rectum of male victims and into the vagina of female victims. The oral, rectal, or vaginal pear was inflicted on people guilty of sodomy, on women guilty of adultery, people guilty of incest or sexual union with Satan, and it was also inflicted on heretical preachers and blasphemers.

This torture has in itself the implicit idea of inflicting punishment that was opposite to the kind of crime one had been charged with.